1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a traffic information transmitting system for detecting and transmitting a current position of a moving object such as a person or an automobile. Further, the invention relates to a traffic information collecting and distributing system and a traffic information collecting and distributing method for forming traffic information based on collected information of a current position and distributing formed traffic information to a traffic information user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, according to a traffic information collecting and distributing system, traffic information actually observed by using a helicopter or a vehicle for monitoring is collected and informed to a driver of a moving object such as a vehicle via broadcast media such as radio.
However, as a traffic information collecting and distributing system of recent times, there is reduced into practice, for example, VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System). In VICS, a traffic information center detects and accumulates a traffic situation such as traffic jam, traffic control, a required time period or a state of parking lots in a monitoring object area from cameras or sensors installed at roads and provides accumulated traffic situation data directly to a driver via a communication apparatus referred to as beacon apparatus. Further, according to ATIS (Advanced Traffic Information Service), a driver obtains a traffic situation by using portable telephone.
Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11-183184, there is pointed out a technology in which, with an object of grasping traffic information further accurately and supplying the traffic information to respective vehicles, a traffic jam is predicted by current positions of respective vehicles via a public communication network by using in-vehicle terminals connected to the public communication network and predicted traffic jam information is provided to the in-vehicle terminals upon a request.
FIG. 27 is a constitution view showing a traffic information system in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11-183184, numeral 1 designates a moving object position detecting and transmitting apparatus installed in respective vehicles, numeral 2 designates an information center, numeral 4 designates a GPS satellite, numeral 5 designates a portable telephone base station, and numeral 6 designates a general public telephone network. Further, the moving object position detecting and transmitting apparatus 1 is constituted by a car navigation apparatus and a portable telephone terminal.
An explanation will be given of operation of the conventional apparatus as follows.
The moving object position detecting and transmitting apparatus 1 carries out a processing of transmitting position information of a vehicle detected by the car navigation apparatus to the information center 2 via the portable telephone base station 5 and the public network 6 by a portable telephone terminal. The information center 2 carries out a processing of grasping a tendency of the respective vehicles from the position information transmitted from the respective vehicles, predicting a traffic jam situation at respective roads and distributing the predicted traffic jam situation to the in-vehicle terminal 1 of the respective vehicle as necessary. Further, the in-vehicle terminal 1 of the respective vehicle carries out a processing of displaying the traffic jam situation distributed from the information center to a driver and guiding the driver with regard to a required time period or the shortest path to a destination by utilizing the traffic jam situation.
As described above, according to the conventional apparatus, in the system of utilizing VICS or ATIS, there poses a problem that only traffic information in a monitoring area with cameras or sensors on roads can be obtained.
Further, according to the constitution of the publication, there poses a problem that expense is needed in utilizing traffic information although the position information for forming the traffic information is provided.
Further, the traffic information is updated only at intervals of about five minutes through several tens of minutes and therefore, the traffic information obtained by a driver is not real time information but differs from a traffic situation in which the vehicle is actually running.
The invention has been carried out in order to resolve the above-described problems and it is an object thereof to provide a traffic information collecting and distributing system capable of providing traffic information in a wide range and imposing proper charge in accordance with respective traffic information user.
Further, it is an object thereof to provide a traffic information transmitting system capable of reducing a frequency of transmitting information of a current position of a moving object.
Further, it is an object thereof to provide a traffic information transmitting system capable of transmitting not only information of a current position of a moving object but also information of the moving object.
Further, it is an object thereof to provide a traffic information collecting and distributing method capable of providing traffic information over a area and imposing a proper charge on a respective traffic information user for the information.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a traffic information detecting and distributing system comprising receiving means for receiving current position information transmitted from a traffic information transmitting system for detecting and transmitting the current position information of a moving object, traffic information forming means for forming traffic information based on the current position information received by the receiving means, traffic information distributing means for distributing the formed traffic information to a traffic information user, user identifying means for identifying the traffic information user based on traffic information user identifying means,and charging means for charging money to the traffic information user based on the traffic information user identifying information.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided the traffic information collecting and distributing system wherein the receiving means successively receives the current position information transmitted from the traffic information transmitting system.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided the traffic information collecting and distributing system wherein the traffic information transmitting system identifying information transmitted from the traffic information transmitting system is received and charge is changed based thereon.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided the traffic information collecting and distributing system wherein the traffic information transmitting system identifying information relates to product information of the traffic information transmitting system.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided the traffic information collecting and distributing system wherein the traffic information transmitting system identifying information relates to presence or absence of providing the current position information.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided the traffic information collecting and distributing system wherein the charging means controls a quality or an amount of traffic information distributed by the traffic information distributing means for respective traffic information user and charges money in accordance with the quality or the amount.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided the traffic information collecting and distributing system wherein the traffic information distributing means adds additional information to the traffic information formed by the traffic information forming means and distributes the additional information to the traffic information user and the charging means changes charge in accordance with the additional information.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided the traffic information collecting and distributing system wherein the additional information is advertisement information and the charging means charges to a provider of the advertisement information.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided the traffic information collecting and distributing system wherein the receiving means receives accumulated current position information at every predetermined period.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a traffic information transmitting system comprising position detecting means for detecting a current position of a moving object, and transmitting means for transmitting current position information of the moving object detected by the position detecting means, wherein the transmitting means transmits the current position information only under a specific condition or increases a frequency of transmitting the current position information under the specific condition.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a traffic information transmitting system comprising position detecting means for detecting a current position of a moving object, accumulating means for accumulating the detected current position information, and transmitting means for transmitting the accumulated current position information at every predetermined period.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a traffic information transmitting system comprising position detecting means for detecting a current position of a moving object, monitoring means for collecting moving object information of the moving object per se or a periphery thereof, and transmitting means for transmitting the current position information of the moving object detected by the position detecting means and the moving object information collected by the monitoring means.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of collecting and distributing traffic information comprising the steps of receiving current position information of a moving object, forming traffic information based on the received current position information, distributing the formed traffic information to a traffic information user, identifying the traffic information user based on traffic information user identifying information, and charging to the traffic information user based on the traffic information user identifying information.